Japan hopes U.S. will rethink withdrawal from nuke pact with Russia

22.10.2018

The Japanese government expressed hope Monday that the United States will reconsider its plan to withdraw from the Cold War-era nuclear arms treaty with Russia.

«It is undesirable for the United States to have no other choice than to break away from the treaty and we hope (the withdrawal) would be avoided,» Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a press conference.

(Yoshihide Suga)

Tokyo will seek to exchange views on the matter with Washington, the top government spokesman said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he will scrap the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, which limits the size of each nation’s arsenal of missiles.

Washington has long argued that Moscow has been violating the deal by deploying a range of tactical nuclear weapons to intimidate former Soviet states that have aligned with the West.